dangerous shopping spree(c rank)

mission details:

Their first mission.... Actually went well. Our dear protagonist and her tiny teacher finished their construction assignment with enough time to enjoy a hot steaming bowl of mappo tofu with rice. Now she was off to her next task. This one was easy. All she had to do was walk around for a while with some hotshot entrepreneur and collect that sweet sweet money. She could already smell the sent of freshly scanned fabric. Saya was lost in thought, her mind shifting between the jutsu she was working on, and what to buy with her hard earned money.

"Now Saya. Be aware that this could end up being a very dangerous mission. I know it sounds like you're just walking around but there is a good chance that this guy might get attacked some time in the journey. You have to be prepared in case that happens. You've got a couple jutsu under your belt now. That's good, but you've got to be prepared to use them. Like to the death kind of use them. We aren't playing around with ninja tasks anymore. " Pinochio is being especially strict today..... I wonder why--oh. Hello dear listeners. I hope you enjoyed that quick break. Yes. The air around them seemed to be stiff with tension as they approached the small home of their client.

"Right right. Something about danger" here we go again. Saya had an incredible capacity for concentration, but it was never used on things that were actually important. While she shifted focus back and forth, she missed the finer points emphasized by tonality, making the warning sound less like an important message and more like he was just being paranoid.

"No. Seriously. Stop doing hand seals for a second and listen." She hadn't even realized that she was forming the signs for five feeding sharks when she was pulled from her thoughts by Pinoch.

"Wh. Sorry Pinoch. Mind going a million miles. you know how it is. I'll be careful though. If anything happens I'll just use this cool new jutsu of mine. Bet we can work on a second one while we're out! " She knocked on the door just as she finished speaking and bounced back and forth between heel and toe waiting.

"Maybe. but Actually, I have another idea. I'd like you to focus on summoning Doton chakra. It's about time you began learning jutsu that don't rely on water. Now. For this I want you to--" He was cut off as the doorway opened. The woman before them was fairly short, with large coke bottle glasses sat in the center of her face. If they were honest, the duo expected something more..... fabulous? Saya assumed they were picking up some socialite with jewelry hanging from her wrists and high fashion hugging her curves but this woman seemed more the bookworm type. That was kind of cool.

"Hello! We're here to escort you. I'm Sayatria tass and one day I'm going to be the most well known performer in the whole land!" The woman snickered at this. She had a warm laugh that put Saya at ease. She simply nodded, stepping out to close the door behind herself and motioned for them to walk.

~Now. While we're with her it's important that we not speak out loud Tria. There is nothing wrong with us speaking, but until I get a real body it will seem strange. ~ They headed down the dirt road towards the village. She knew they were heading to the shopping district of the village so this woman could pick up some things that she needed. It wasn't really that far. Saya figured she could traverse the distance in an hour or so, though it would take a couple at this speed. As they walked, finally the woman began to speak. It was unsurprising that Saya's charisma would open her up eventually. She seemed to have that effect on people. They either began to feel comfortable and happy around her or wanted to throw things. She found out the woman's name was ita, and that she designed dolls for sale around the world. That sparked a whole discussion. The young puppet master was so excited to have found someone with the skills she was working on developing. She spoke on her plans to build puppets for use in battle and the chatter increased.

Ita explained the specific methods she used to carve tight curves in the small wooden blocks, Saya beamed about her thoughts on the best method to hollow out a chest cavity without cracking the casing, and together they planned their next projects. It was almost dificult for Saya to split her focus on chakra. Several times she lost control of the energy between drawing it from her heart point and pushing it down into her feet, but overall they had an absolute blast. And then it was all over. There was a shifting in the brush to her left. It was slight, but enough that Saya shifted her view from the brilliant woman before her to searching around them. She noticed him immediately. There was a man in all black with a long black sword standing just out of their direct field of view. His feet, great oaks ground into the wet earth flexed in preparation even as he spoke.

"Alright listen. Just give me all your money and no one has to get hurt. I ain't tryin to kill nobody but I will. You girls shoulda got an escort if you were meaning to travel through open lands like this. Think of it as an important lesson you'll remember for a long time." His knuckles ghosted with tension on the hilt of his sword. He turned it over in his wrist several times as he waited for an answer and Saya realized something. This wasn't exactly a battle hardened ninja. She allowed the Doton chakra she was working on to release. She was getting close to being able to actually shift it from it's clear form. The rolling energy, which was normally shifted so fluidly had solidified in her ankles to press out into the earth below. Unfortunately that would have to wait.

"Oh Oh no sir. Please Anything but that! Please don't murderate us with your big sword!! I just don't know what I would even do" As she started her sentence a deep southern twang filled her words with mocking notes that only made the grin on her lips grow.
"I'll tell you what. Walk away and leave my new friend and I alone and you won't have to deal with the consequences. This outfit was quite expensive and I'd hate to soil it having to fight you."

~and also you've not ever been in combat. What are you angling for?~ Of course he knew. Pinoch, by virtue of being a part of Saya's consciousness was fully aware of what was going on. This was more of a diversionary tactic to ensure she considered her actions carefully. The thief closed on them quickly, sword outstretched in a way that made it seem a bit more like he was going to run it into her then actually strike. Then something changed. His wrist limbered. His stance shifted. He was like a great sea flowing towards her. Focusing her will once more she summoned chakra, but instead of shifting it to allow it to drip through her rib cage she thrust it downward. Her fingertips shifted. Five threads latched to her body in perfect precision. She dropped her stance, squatting down to widen her root chakra and strengthen her foothold. From her side pouch she pulled one of the kunai she'd bought just days before and held it in tightly clenched fingers. The blade struck to separate her from her head in an instant, but she'd seen it coming.

The shift from fearful thief to trained fighter had taken her off guard, that was true, but our dear protagonist's resolve only strengthened. She rotated her upper body, ducking under the blade. She flicked the blade around to point the blunted circle at her foe. Leading with power her front foot shifted foward and the weapon struck him hard in the chest. It honestly didn't do that much, but it was the thought that counts, right?

Ita stepped back, trying to remove herself from the situation as the two clashed. The ninja bandit responded to the strike. She'd gotten in close, and he took that as a mistake, not knowing what she'd done to prepare. stepping back he drew the blade into his chest before lashing out with a quick slice aimed to cut her from left eye to right hip. From his grip she could tell that his weapons would do much more damage then hers. Fingertips twitched to pull her out of the way. The thread attached to her left side pulled taunt, and she dodged off in opposition to the direction of cut to allow it to once again follow the line of her body harmlessly. Her heel shifted, her shoulders dropped again, and she was thrust forward at a speed amplified by her skillful art of the human body technique. The kunai spun in her hand and kissed his cheek in an upward arc that wrote red from chin to ear. That one got his attention. As he drew the weapon back for a second strike she retreated. Her goal was simple. First she could tell quickly that he was more practiced in weaponry then she was. Her puppetry control was helping her keep air between herself and the blade but blow for blow this was his fight by far. She, however had the power of her chakra. Near formed Doton chakra released in her root. It was almost a dissapointment feeling the dense solid threads rip themselves from the ground to shift back to a more natural state. ALmost instantly she felt it liquify and climb up to her core and pool in her solar chakra point. She had forgotten about the rain that had drenched the pair their entire trip towards the village, but here, preparing for battle, she could feel it calling for her to call for her health.

The ninja rushed forward. He was done playing. His weapon raised up until the hilt sat beside his face. His stance betrayed his attack, but he was a powerful force seeking to exstinguish her light by any means. As he thrust forward she dropped low. The seals flashed quickly. Snake. Bird. Monkey. Ox. Dragon. Her hands clapped together just as the blade soared once again over her head.A grin split her lips as she touched the ground beneath her. Water swelled around them. His hilt shifted in the air. It became all too clear that he intended to bring the blade down on her shoulder, forgoing the chambering process and allowing downward momentum to carry the blade through her but he was too slow. The ever growing pool of water rose up, and from it's tip a great set of razor sharp teeth were brought to bare against his core. The first shark knocked him backward. The second lifted him further into the air. Sharpened steel met mud as he lost control of his weapon. his now empty hands drawing inward to clutch the wound in his chest. As he landed the three final sharks struck. All three swarmed the incapacitated ninja, tearing great wounds in his body. When the jutsu finished he was no longer moving.

".....So. I think with a better quality wood I can achieve a more realistic look.... Any ideas what I should be on the look for?" Ita laughed. The combat had been over in an instant for her, and just as quickly Saya was back to the conversation. She drew chakra again, pushing it slowly down her legs and into her root chakra as the two met up again. The rest of the trip seemed to fly after such a scare, and they made it to their shopping trip.

((TWC 2009 claiming 4000 ryo +100 for genin reward, 20 ap, 5 vigor 15 chakra for stats 452 wc towards five feeding sharks and 1557 towards earth release(4k) exit topic closed))

Approved